Using surveillance data to analyse influenza severity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

26 November 2018 - From October 1 - 4, in a premiere event for the Region, over 25 influenza experts converged in Tunis for a training workshop on influenza baseline setting and threshold value determination for so-called Pandemic Influenza Severity Assessments (PISAs). By organizing and facilitating the course, WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean aimed to support countries in their understanding of the PISA tool, and how surveillance data can be used to better assess the severity of influenza.

Filling knowledge gaps to strengthen Yemen’s cholera response

25 November, 2018 – To improve the response to the ongoing cholera outbreak in Yemen, which has caused over 1,3 million suspected cases since 2016, experts from WHO, UNICEF, MSF and other partners met in Amman from October 9 – 11. The meeting focused on identifying existing knowledge and information gaps which stand in the way of mounting an effective cholera response, as well as devising a new strategic approach to fill these gaps.

Ramping up Ebola preparedness to ensure early detection and response

22 November 2018 - The Infectious Hazard Management unit of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) launched a series of activities to scale up Ebola preparedness and readiness. Although no case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has yet been reported from the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), the risk of importation of cases from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where an outbreak of EVD is currently ongoing, cannot be ignored. Owing to frequent international travel and population movement, a disease outbreak in one country can become a regional or global concern in a matter of days.